The Philadelphia Folklore Project's (PFP) first project was a survey of local folk arts and community-based culture, culminating in a city-wide Philadelphia Folklore Month (October 1989), and a published Guide to Philadelphia Folklife Resources. A team of researchers undertook folklife research around the city, generating photographic and audio documentation, as well as field notes. A wide range of local folklife forms were surveyed, including community festivals and gatherings, gardening, music, dance, crafts and verbal arts. Researchers talked to hundreds of people, recording and photographing important arts of everyday life. Collaborative programs were initiated: 121 PFP- and community-produced public events and publications developed for Philadelphia Folklore Month are documented in the collection; administrative files and grant applications provide an additional record of research goals, process, and products. Materials generated for the Guide to Philadelphia Folklife Resources (ephemera from, and notes on, grassroots cultural organizations) were transferred to the Urban Archives, Temple University.
For additional information, see the following PFP publications: Guide to Philadelphia Folklife Resources (1991, 1992); Philadelphia Folklore Month Scrapbook (1989); and early issues of PFP’s magazine, Works in Progress (WIP).
Philadelphia Folklore Project collections related to the content of Philadelphia Folklore Month Collection:
C0004: Uses of Tradition
C0005: Family Business Project
Philadelphia Folklore Project publications:
Craig [Kreusi], Margaret, 1987. October update: survey of folklife resources. Works in Progress 1(1):5
Looking towards October 1989: a month of folklore in Philadelphia. 1987. Works in Progress 1(1):6-7.
Philadelphia Folklore Month. 1988. Works in Progress 2(1):5,7-8.
Philadelphia Folklore Month. 1988. Works in Progress 2(2):5,7.
Philadelphia Folklore Month. 1988. Works in Progress 2(3):5,9.
Philadelphia Folklore Month Scrapbook. 1989. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Folklore Project.
Folklore everywhere: Philadelphia Folklore Month a rousing success. 1989. Works in Progress 3(1):2-3.
Jennifer Michael, ed. 1991. Guide to Philadelphia Folklife Resources. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Folklore Project. [Reprinted 1992]
Collection is open for research. Duplication and use of materials is dependent on permission from the Philadelphia Folklore Project. Contact PFP for access and usage information.